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Meaning & use

broken reed

noun·Advancedliterarydisapproving

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UK/ˌbrəʊkən ˈriːd/
US/ˌbroʊkən ˈriːd/
Usage warning: this word is disapproving. It shows a negative opinion, so take care with who and what you use it about.

Meanings

  1. nouncountableliterarydisapproving

    A person or thing you relied on that turns out to be weak, unreliable, or unable to help.

    Grammar: Countable and usually singular; it appears in the fixed phrase 'a broken reed' and often follows 'lean on' or 'rely on'.

    Patterns

    • a broken reed
    • rely on someone as a broken reed
    • lean on a broken reed

    When the crisis came, the ally they had counted on proved a broken reed.

    She thought the old committee would defend her, but it turned out to be a broken reed.

    Do not lean on him; he is a broken reed in any emergency.

  2. nouncountableliterarydisapproving

    Something that gives no real help when you depend on it, such as a weak argument or a failing system.

    Grammar: Used of things as well as people; the article 'a' is normal, and the plural 'broken reeds' is rare.

    Patterns

    • prove a broken reed
    • turn out to be a broken reed

    The report was a broken reed: it promised reform but offered no money.

    Their backup plan proved a broken reed when the power failed.

Common combinations

prove a broken reed
The new law proved a broken reed, protecting nobody in practice.
turn out to be a broken reed
The promised funding turned out to be a broken reed.
lean on a broken reed
You are leaning on a broken reed if you trust that rumor.
a broken reed in a crisis
He is charming but a broken reed in a crisis.

Synonyms and how they differ

liability
Stronger and more neutral; it means someone or something that causes problems rather than simply failing to help.
dead loss
Informal British; it describes something completely useless, while 'broken reed' stresses disappointed trust.
weak link
Focuses on the weakest part of a group or chain, not on someone you personally depended on.

Opposites

tower of strengthmainstay

Word family

reed noun
a tall thin grass that grows by water; the image behind the phrase, since a cracked reed snaps under weight.

Commonly confused: broken reed or broken record?

broken reed vs broken record

A 'broken record' is someone who repeats the same thing again and again; a 'broken reed' is something unreliable that lets you down.

Practice

The government promised support, but when the floods came that promise was ______.

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